


Elemental Bond

by Mertiya



Series: Story Circle [11]
Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 06:18:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8001622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertiya/pseuds/Mertiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nissa wakes up because someone is having nightmares.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elemental Bond

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place somewhere between the end of Eldritch Moon and the beginning of Kaladesh.

Something had woken Nissa up.  She opened her eyes, expecting to see the first rays of sunlight shining through her window, but instead, she only saw the trickle of yellow artificial lights that still gave her a slightly uneasy feeling.  Ravnica.  She was on Ravnica.

She groped for the leylines; it was harder to find them than on Zendikar, but, after a moment’s searching, there they were.  Taking a deep breath, she let the comforting familiarity of even a distant, foreign world’s heart wash over her.  As she started to drift off to sleep again, she wondered what had woken her in the middle of the night, and that was when she heard it again.

It was a soft noise, but sufficiently pained that it had cut right through her sleep, like the whimpering of a small, wounded animal.  Without thinking, Nissa stumbled to her feet and pulled her blanket around her shoulders as a makeshift robe, warm against the chill of the Ravnican night.  Then she followed the sound.

She must have forgotten to shut her door the night before, which explained how she’d heard it so clearly, when it was actually coming from somewhere on the floor below.  Sighing, she started down the stairs.  She hated the feeling of worked stone instead of warm earth beneath her bare feet, but never mind.  She still hadn’t decided how long she would remain here.

The noises were coming from Jace’s study, which she hadn’t expected.  That door was also slightly ajar, and she pushed it open the whole way.

Jace was lying across his desk, both hands tangled in the fabric of his cloak, and he was making small, terrified noises that made Nissa’s heart ache.  She wasn’t quite sure what to do.  Though she and Jace had spent some time connected at a deeper level than she had with some of the rest of the Gatewatch, she still felt as if she understood him less than any of the rest, except maybe Liliana, whom she had no desire to understand, in any case.

So now she didn’t know what could be causing him to react like this, and she didn’t know what to do about it, but she had to do _something_.  So she crossed the room to him and put a hand on his shoulder.  “Jace?” she said quietly.

The noises stopped immediately as he blinked his eyes open and instantly stiffened, pulling away from her touch and curling into his cloak as if he were trying to make himself smaller.  There was confusion in his eyes that cleared only when Nissa stepped back and felt a sudden, rough probe in her head, that was almost as quickly withdrawn.

“Krokt,” Jace breathed.  “I’m sorry, Nissa.  What are you doing here?”

“I think you were having nightmares,” she replied.  “I just wanted to make sure you–were all right.”

Gathering himself up, Jace pulled his cloak about him in a way that was probably intended to be authoritative, but didn’t quite work.  Something about his mussed hair and the forced tension in his shoulders made her think of a little boy playing dress up.  “I’m fine, Nissa, thank you,” he said.  “I’m sorry that I woke you.”

“It’s fine.”  Something compelled her to reach out and put the hand back on his shoulder.  “What were the nightmares about?”

Taking a deep breath, Jace seemed about to say something; then her words seemed to percolate, and he let the breath out again in something like surprise.  Pinching the bridge of his nose, he seemed to be searching for words.

Nissa squatted beside the chair he was seated in, lowering herself to something closer to his level.  “You don’t have to tell me,” she said gently.  “But I’ve found sometimes it’s easier to deal with nightmares if you have someone to talk to them about.”   _Oh, Ashaya_.

Jace’s gaze dropped away from her.  “I was dreaming about–an old friend,” he said haltingly.  “He–was in love with me, and I never realized.”

This was a little out of Nissa’s area of expertise, but she still tried.  “Sometimes people don’t notice other people’s feelings, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

“And then I got him killed.”  Jace sighed and leaned back in his chair.  “I mean, it wasn’t entirely my fault.  Liliana–this was back when she and I were–together.”

Nissa stared at him.  She’d known, of course, that Jace and Liliana had known each other for some time, but… “ _Liliana_?” she blurted.  “ _Really_ , Jace?”

“Hey, this was years ago!” Jace protested.  “I was young and stupid, and she is _really_  attractive.”

“She’s a terrible person.” When Jace pulled a face, Nissa insisted.  “She _is_ , you know she is.  I don’t trust her at all.”

“You don’t trust her because she’s a necromancer.” But the protest sounded a little feeble.

“That’s one of many reasons.”  But Jace was shivering a little now, and looking faintly defensive.  “I’m sorry, Jace, that’s not important now.  Your friend–what was his name?”

“Kallist,” Jace whispered miserably.  “He was one of the first friends I ever–well, that I remember having.  If it hadn’t been for him, I’d have died so many times over, and then he died because of me.”

“He loved you, didn’t he?  I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

“I know,” Jace murmured.  “Well, I don’t know.  He was pretty vindictive.” He managed a smile.  “He might get a kick out of me having nightmares about him, though I guess he’d prefer it if I had–uh–” he blushed “–other kinds of dreams, not that I usually do, it’s just, um…” He shook his head.  “Sorry, I’m still very sleepy.”

“Maybe you should go to bed.”

Jace stared down at his desk.  “I haven’t finished my paperwork for today,” he objected.  “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It can wait.”  There was a pallet in the corner of Jace’s office; Lavinia had probably left it there for this exact reason.  “Come on, you need some proper sleep.”

“But–” Jace protested weakly, and Nissa paused.

“Do you really not want to?” she asked, and Jace glanced up at her with startled blue eyes.

“I–no–I suppose you’re right, I should,” he said slowly, almost wonderingly.  He stretched and yawned, and then took the hand that Nissa proffered to him and stood up.  “Thanks again,” he said awkwardly, as he sank down onto the pallet.  Nissa stood still for a moment, and then sat down on the edge beside him.  Jace blinked at her.  “You don’t have to stay.”

“It’s all right,” she replied quietly.  “You’ll probably sleep better if you have someone here when you’re falling asleep.”

Jace opened his mouth as if he were about to protest, then closed it again, very firmly.  “Thank you,” he muttered.

“We’re friends,” Nissa told him firmly.  “You don’t have to thank me.  Just go to sleep.”  She put a hand on his forehead, and he sniffed, blinked rapidly, and then shut his eyes firmly.

She stroked his forehead slowly as his breathing evened out, and his face slackened into sleep.  “Jace, you’re a mess,” she whispered to his sleeping form.  Stripped of his illusions and defenses, he seemed lost and small and lonely.  He needed more friends.  He shouldn’t always be the one trying to keep everyone safe.  Nissa made a mental note to tell Gideon to keep Liliana as far away from Jace as possible.  “You have friends now,” she said to him.  “And we’re not going anywhere.”

Jace smiled in his sleep.


End file.
